Royal patronage for Arab Woman Awards

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His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth & Community Development, confirmed his patronage for tonight’s Arab Woman Awards UAE 2013. Established in 2009 by ITP Publishing, the awards recognise and honour successful women from across diverse fields in the UAE including art, business, fashion, entrepreneurship and charity. Nominations for this year ceremony have surpassed judges’ expectations with entries coming in from across all seven emirates.

“The patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan is a testament to the significance of these awards,” says Sue Holt, Deputy Managing Director, ITP Consumer and Founder of the Arab Woman Awards. “His endorsement confirms our vision, as a platform that celebrates women who strive to succeed and contribute to the growth of the nation.”

The Arab Women Awards UAE 2013 will take place tonight in a glittering, ladies-only gala dinner on at Rosewood Abu Dhabi hotel.

MEPRA Awards 2013 set to be biggest yet

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Tonight’s Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Awards are set to be the biggest yet with a record 150 entries received – a marked increase on previous years. The Awards, which are to be held at The Westin Dubai, recognise and reward excellence in the PR industry.

“We were greatly encouraged to see the increase in the number of companies and individuals submitting entries this year,” says MEPRA’s General Manager, Carine Duvignaud. “More impressive though was the quality of the submissions. As a consequence the judging panel had a hard task to narrow down the finalists.”

Agency Finalists include: DABO &CO; Golin Harris; Leocomm PR; GMASCO: Four Communications; ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller; Ketchum RAAD Middle East: Edelman: Memac Ogilvy PR: Weber Shandwick MENA; Leocomm PR; Limelight PR;  Action Global Communications: Capital MS&L: Mojo PR: TishTash PR: Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

The full list of MEPRA Awards Finalists is detailed below:

Best Practice -Sectors & Services

Consumer Goods

  • DABO &CO: “Kate Spade New York”
  • Golin Harris: “Kraft Original Treasures of Arabia”
  • Leocomm PR: “The Launch of HTC One”
  • GMASCO: “LEXUS Passion Pioneers”
  • GMASCO: “Your Opinion Counts”

Consumer Services

  • Troon Golf and Four Communications: “The Dhabi that Roared!”
  • ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller: “McDonald’s Nutrition Labelling Launch”

Healthcare & Services

  • Ketchum RAAD Middle East: “Safe @ Heart”
  • Edelman: “Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Employee Engagement”
  • Memac Ogilvy PR Algeria: “Hidden Faces of Diabetes”

Business to Business

  • State Government of Victoria and Four Communications: “On a Mission”
  • NATS and Four Communications: “Going Up a Level”
  • Weber Shandwick MENA: “Hot Commodity”
  • Leocomm PR: “du Enterprise PR Strategy -Answers for Tomorrow’s Business”
  • Limelight PR: “Launching CCS in the Middle East”

Government Communications

  • Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development and Four Communications: “Bright Sparks”
  • Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and Four Communications: “Unlocking the UAE’s Natural Energy”
  • ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller: “Government Summit 2013”

Corporate Reputation & Image

  • Weber Shandwick MENA: “Standard and Poor’s -Reclaiming Leadership”
  • ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller: “Arab Aviation and Media Summit 2013”
  • London Business School and Four Communications: “London Business School”

Internal Communications

  • TAQA: “One TAQA Day”
  • Ketchum RAAD Middle East: “Hello Hakawati!”
  • Action Global Communications: “Above & Beyond”

Corporate Responsibility

  • Glasspoint and Four Communications / Antenna Group: “Focus!”
  • Capital MS&L: “Sustainable Bathroom in the UAE Competition”
  • Weber Shandwick MENA: “Awareness of Fire Safety Risks in the Gulf”
  • Mojo PR: “Summertown Interiors”

 

Best Practice -Techniques

Best Use of Sponsorship

  • Weber Shandwick MENA: “Jaguar Style Stakes at Dubai World Cup 2013”
  • Ketchum RAAD Middle East: “Unlock the Race with Infiniti”
  • Mojo PR: “Hong Kong Tourism Board”

Best Product/Service Launch

  • DABO & CO: “The Launch of Nokia Lumia”
  • JW Marriott Marquis: “Vault”
  • Mojo PR: “Eureeca”

Best Use of Media Relations – Consumer or Trade

  • Weber Shandwick MENA: “Gulf Business Machines – 2013 IT Security”
  • Weber Shandwick MENA: “Stars of Science Season 4”
  • DABO & CO: “Canon at Gulf Print 2013”
  • Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and Four Communications: “Selling Ras
  • Al Khaimah”
  • British Council and Four Communications: “Going Global”
  • Victoria International School of Sharjah and Four Communications: “Leading the Way”
  • Mojo PR: “Tiffany & Co”
  • TishTash PR: “Summer Celebrity GlamBox”

Best Use of Social Media/ Digital PR

  • Memac Ogilvy PR Dubai: “Sprite Min Al Akhir”
  • JW Marriott Marquis: “Izakaya at JW Marriott Marquis”
  • Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and Four Communications: “Unlocking the UAE’s Natural Energy”

Best Live Event/Stunt

  • Etisalat: “mHealth Grand Tour”
  • Edelman: “Building the Next Generation of Emirati Leaders”
  • Edelman: “Blackberry 10 Global Launch”
  • Hill+Knowlton Strategies: “Hammam Shami”
  • Ketchum RAAD Middle East: “Launch and Sustain Campaign of the 2013 Infiniti JX in the Middle East”
  • Tourism Ireland and Four Communications: “The Gathering Greening”

Best Integrated Campaign

  • Tourism Ireland and Four Communications: “St Patrick’s Week”
  • Edelman: “Qasr Al Hosn Festival”
  • DABO & CO & Marriott International: “The Launch of the JW Marriott Marquis”
  • Mojo PR: ” A Taste of Singapore”

Overall Best Campaign of the Year

  • Category NOT opened for entries. Winner will be announced at the Gala Event

Agency of the year

  • Seven Media
  • Four Communications
  • Edelman
  • Weber Shandwick MENA
  • Ketchum RAAD Middle East
  • Mojo PR

In-house Team of the Year (Sponsored by Edelman)

  • Mubadala
  • Etihad Airways

What’s On Award winners to be revealed tomorrow

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The What’s On Awards Dubai 2013 will take place tomorrow evening at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre and will celebrate the UAE’s cream of the crop in hospitality, entertainment and leisure. Now in its tweflth year, the event – which is sponsored by Dubai First – has gained industry wide respect for transparency and fairness with all votes independently counted and audited by Jacobsons Direct Marketing Services and then counter-verified by a special panel of impartial industry experts.

For a full list of the shortlisted nominees, visit www.whatsonawards.com

Good luck to all!

Shortlist announced for Effie Mena Awards 2013

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Today, GMR formally announced the finalists in the Effie Mena Awards 2013. The final winners, drawn from every corner of the region, will be announced during the awards ceremony on November 20 in Dubai. There are 17 award categories and the shortlist is decided by a mix of votes and judged decisions. This year’s judging panel is made up of leading figures across the marketing industry.

The number of entries for the sell-out event has doubled from last year and builds on the 47 per cent increase registered in 2012. Wider geographical participation is also at its highest with the Netherlands, the UK and Singapore submitting entries for the first time. The UAE, however, leads, submitting 60 per cent of all entries followed by Saudi Arabia – which increased its participation from last year – Egypt and Lebanon. Qatar, Iraq, Tunisia and Oman also increased their participation.

“These awards, in their various incarnations from the original GEMAS in 2003 through to The Effie Mena Awards, are celebrating their tenth anniversary, so we’re delighted that it has also turned into a record-breaking occasion,” says Alexandre Hawari, co-CEO of organisers, Mediaquest Events and publisher of GMR. “We’re delighted not only to attract more such a large number of entries, but that they come from all across the Mena region and beyond. This is a testament to the credibility and prestige of the awards.”

The winners can go onto be cited in the Effie Effectiveness Index, which ranks the most effective agencies and advertisers points based on finalist and winner data from 40 worldwide Effie Award competitions.

The awards presentation ceremony takes place at Music Hall, Zabeel Saray Dubai, on November 20. Choueiri Group sponsors the after party. To view the complete Effie Mena Awards 2013 shortlist, visit www.effiemena.com.

Lonely Planet Traveller & BBC Good Food relocate

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Lonely Planet Traveller Middle East and BBC Good Food Middle East have moved to new offices. The entire editorial, sales, marketing and events teams have shifted to CPI Media Group’s headquarters in TECOM. The new address is office 804, Grosvenor Business Tower, TECOM and the switchboard number is 04-440-9100. Individual email addresses and direct lines remain the same.

ZenithOptimedia celebrates 25th birthday

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ZenithOptimedia is today celebrating its 25th birthday. On 30 October 1988, Zenith Media opened for business in a converted warehouse in Paddington, London. Created from the media buying departments of Saatchi & Saatchi, BSB Dorland and KHBB, it went on to become the first worldwide media “dependent” agency.

Steve King, CEO, Worldwide, ZenithOptimedia, said: “I feel enormously proud and humble that I have been with the network since our launch as Zenith Media in 1988. While our business has changed beyond all recognition in scope and scale, I believe that the enduring success of ZenithOptimedia is testament to the fantastic people and spirit around the network and the clear purpose and direction that we derive from our ROI focus.”

“The fact that our agency has grown five-fold in the past five years is testament to our ability to deliver revolutionary communications solutions – in real time – and across all paid, owned and earned digital media channels,” said Firas El Zein, CEO of Zenith MENA. “At Zenith MENA, our vision is – and always has been – centered on spearheading multimedia trends across the region. As part of this winning strategy, we have, in the past two years, successfully launched Newcast – a specialist branded content and experience division – as well as Performics MENA, the region’s leading performance marketing agency. In light of ZenithOptimedia’s 25th anniversary, it gives me great pleasure to affirm that these new entities further cement our position as a pioneering ROI agency.”

To mark the 25th anniversary, ZenithOptimedia is embarking on a major global futures study to look at how the world could change over the next 25 years. The study will look at how the world’s economies will develop, how our societies will change, how advances in technology will improve our daily lives and how we might enjoy entertainment in the years to come. ZenithOptimedia will publish the study in December.

ITP partners with Sayidaty for Arab Woman Awards

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ITP Consumer, the region’s largest publisher of English language women’s magazines, has announced a ground-breaking partnership with Sayidaty as media sponsor of its Arab Woman Awards for the coming year.

The media partnership will include the Arab Woman Awards official publications being distributed with Sayidaty, on-site interviews with the winners featured on Sayidaty.com, post-event coverage of the event plus the magazine also plans to utilise the events to launch its own marketing initiative called ‘Sayidaty celebrates women’ which it will unveil at the Arab Woman Awards UAE in December at the Sofitel Abu Dhabi.

“Sayidaty is the region’s most popular Arabic language lifestyle magazine so it seemed a natural fit for us to partner with such an authoritative awards that so actively promotes the achievements of women,” says Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, Editor of Sayidaty. “We are a pan-Arab publisher so the Arab Woman Awards were particularly attractive to us due to their ‘across GCC’ vision.’

The Arab Woman Awards is the GCC region’s only pan-Arab awards to recognise Arab females in areas including business, charity, the arts and design. The awards now run annually in the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar with the first KSA awards launching in early 2014 with the support of Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud. A Bahrain edition is planned for 2015.  The award winners are selected by a private Judges Board from each country which follow strict criteria to determine each winner.  Now in its fifth year the awards have recognised over 150 women to-date with leading businesswomen, doctors and educators including HE Fatima Al Jaber, Dr Manahel Thabet, Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Maktoum, Bothaina Al Ansari, Moudhi Al Hajiri , Sheikha Souad Al Sabah, and many more. The awards are presented at private, invitation only ceremonies with the winners and their achievements published in an official Arab Woman Awards commemorative book.

“Sayidaty has always been a great supporter of the awards through its post-event coverage and attendance,” says Sue Holt, Deputy Managing Director of ITP Consumer and founder of the Arab Woman Awards “We are delighted to formalise this partnership and create an annual calendar in which to jointly celebrate amazing women.”

For more information on the Arab Woman Awards, contact: Marianne Bassil, Marketing & Events Manager, ITP Consumer marianne.bassil@itp.com / +971 (0)4 444 3814

 

Al Jazeera America signs Time Warner deal

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Al Jazeera America has signed a distribution deal with Time Warner Cable offering access to millions of households in the New York and Los Angeles regions of the United States. Just days after launch in August 2013, the Qatar-owned broadcaster hit rocky ground after American-based telecoms group, AT&T, dropped the network from its U-verse television subscription service, taking its distribution down from 41 million homes to just 36 million homes.

International Festival Ad Eaters comes to Dubai

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For nearly three decades, the ‘Night of the Ad Eaters’ has traveled the world, and now for the first time, creator Jean Marie Boursicot is escorting his festival to Dubai. Founder of the biggest advertising film library in the world, Boursicot is due to unveil more than 200 of his collection at Madinat Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, from October 27-29, 2013. For three days, in three hour blocks, advertising enthusiasts and creatives of all types can view selections from Cinematheque Jean Marie Boursicot’s eponymous collection of adverts from 40 countries.

Mohammad Qara’een, CEO of Kilograms creative & tactics says, “Through the brilliant collection and production of Jean Marie Boursicot, the world has enjoyed memorable screenings of great films from the world of advertising. It is now Dubai’s turn to experience the special show hosted by the producer himself.”

With just 20 days to go, tickets to the festival are still available through Time Out Tickets and Platinum Tickets. For further information, call +971 (0)56 3498212.

FP7 MENA open new office in Iraq

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FP7 MENA today announced the launch of its new office in Erbil, Iraq. The new unit – to be known as FP7/EBL – will be led by Managing Director, Wassim Daniel, and will serve the needs of FP7’s regional partners in Iraq. Although based in Erbil, the new FP7 office will serve as a hub for the entire country, supporting its brand partners such as Ford, Coke, Sony Mobiles and Nestlé.

“FP7 certainly doesn’t see Iraq as ‘just another country’ – we strongly believe in Iraq, its potential and its bright future,” says Tarek Miknas, CEO of FP7 MENA. “We want to make sure we get it right by doing great work for great clients, inspired by the new energy and buzz emanating from the country, and of course, grow in the process.”